DAVID Dunn hailed the impact of Lions' ex-pro coaching contingent after the Chapel Gate outfit all but secured their South West One status in dramatic style.

Joe Frost's last-minute try against Cleve handed Lions a well-earned 22-19 victory, after the Bristol outfit had rallied to come back from a 14-0 deficit to level things at half-time.

Cleve then took the lead after the restart, before James Flynn's penalty made the score 19-17 with half-an-hour remaining.

Despite Lions' continual battering of the Cleve defence, however, it was left for Frost to cross the line out wide with barely enough time on the clock to restart following Flynn's missed conversion.

And coach Dunn was quick to praise his fellow coaches, former Gloucester number eight Junior Paramore and Sale centre Robert Todd, for the "mental toughness" instilled in the Lions XV.

Dunn told the Echo: "The way we got the win on Saturday shows how this side has developed. The influence of Robert Todd and Junior Paramore cannot be underestimated.

"They've given the players the physical fitness and skills but they've also given them a mental hardness as well.

"They just refuse to lie down. Do not underestimate the influence of these two ex-professionals and the way they are working with the squad."

Paramore linked up with fellow ex-Guinness Premiership star Todd at Chapel Gate just before this season after a spell coaching National League Bedford Blues and helping Luton win promotion to National Three South.

Dunn added: "We're very hopeful they will stay with us. They seem comfortable and they're enjoying themselves and Junior has settled into the area well.

"It's taken Junior a while to get to know the players, but it's also taken the players a while to get used to the levels he requires from them."

After a nightmare start to life in the South West top-flight, which saw Lions lose their opening seven games, Dunn's charges have now gone seven unbeaten and soared to fifth place in the table.

With four games to go, however, and just five points separating Lions from second-from-bottom Coney Hill, Dunn's side will need to keep their current purple patch going to mathematically secure their safety.

Lions: Davies, Frost, Gray, Payne (Bruce, 70), Flynn, Chislett, Hardcastle, Wareham (Burns, 50), Ulu (Forrest, 43), Manning, Kenny, Seward, Cawley, Crombie, Kiely.

  • Bournemouth'S under-15s claimed the Dorset Cup thanks to a 17-8 win over Sherborne at Bestwall.

Matt Shearing, Andrew Kingswell and Robbie Boyd all chipped in with tries for the young Lions, while Boyd converted his own effort.